Individuality Vs Conformity Essay

Individuality vs. Conformity: School uniform policy or not in De La Salle University? De La Salle University (DLSU), a private and prestigious university in the Philippines, does not require students of wearing uniforms. Sutton (1975) defined clothing as “a reflection of man’s mores and values, a measure of his inventive and decorative impulse, and an illustration of his culture and of his response to the pressures of his society” (p. vii).It implies that each individual is granted the natural freedom to express one's own self by selecting which to wear. Philippines is a country that “guarantees the freedom of religion and the right to freedom of expression”, and, “It is also a State Party to the core human rights treaties that touch on the

According to Sir C. E. Villanueva, (personal communication, August 11, 2014) the section head of the Discipline Education Advocacy and Program Sections of the Student Discipline Formation Office (SDFO), specified “The common cases that students violate dress code in which transfer them to the discipline office is concerned with the length of the skirt, and according to the dress code, the length of the skirt should be the tip of the longest finger of a person while standing upright or more than one inch longer” during the interview. In term three of 2012-2013, there were 105 students who got minor offenses for violating the dress code policy; in term one of 2013-2014, 42 students; in term two within the same year, 23 students.Although the number of students in terms of dress code violation has no significance in disproving the effectiveness of dress code, it is still ongoing issue that the discipline office has to conduct the students’ behavior. Even Sir Topher stated (personal communication, August 8, 2014) “I believe that enforcing the uniform policy will help reduce dress code relatedviolations, monitor the conduct of students easily, and maintain peace and order

According to Zeiger (n.d.), “The Manual on School Uniforms from the U.S. Department of Education reports some additional effects of school uniforms: A decrease in competitiveness in Memphis, TN, An increase in school pride and self-esteem in Kansas City, MO…” Meanwhile, another statistics proved that school uniform does not suppress one’s individuality in which “80 % of girls in New York Public Schools reported that they liked wearing the uniforms. Many schools also have policies in place for allowing students to express themselves despite wearing a uniform…”(Zeiger, n.d.).Nevertheless, Chen (2014) reported a counterclaim argument about school uniform from ACLU:“By denying students the opportunity to fully express their unique personality through the clothing they select, individualism is unable to develop to its fullest capacity. When children select their own clothing, they are able to develop confidence and independence…” In regard to this perspective, school uniform does limit a student’s choice of casual outfits which may prevent an individual to express one’s character. If that is so, does one wearing a casual outfit necessarily guarantee theoriginality of a student?Social approval or peerpressure still exists in a school with